Page:The New Testament in the original Greek - 1881.djvu/20

xxii on Bible Text in Herzog's Real-Encyk. (new ed. ii. 400-437), and Smith's Dict, of the Bible (iii. 2113-2139, Amer. ed.); an essay of Dr. in Anglo-American Bible Revision, Philadelphia, 2d ed. 1879 (pp. 86-98); the third part of Critical Handbook, published by the London Religious Tract Society, London, also Andover, 1880 (pp. 67-143).

The Prolegomena to Tischendorf's eighth critical edition, and the Introduction and Appendix of Westcott and Hort, may be referred to in advance as promising the latest and most accurate information on textual criticism applied to the New Testament.

I. SOURCES OF THE TEXT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

The original autographs of the apostolic writings are lost beyond all reasonable hope of discovery, and are not even mentioned by the post-apostolic authors as being extant anywhere, or as having been seen by them. They perished, probably before the close of the first century, with the brittle paper then in ordinary use (the Egyptian papyrus), like all other ancient writings (with the exception of a few that were accidentally preserved in Egyptian tombs and mummies, or under the lava of Vesuvius at Herculaneum and Pompeii). God has not chosen to exempt the Bible by a miracle from the fate of other books, but has wisely left room for the diligence and research of man, who is responsible for the use of all the facilities within his reach for the study of the Bible. He has not provided for inspired transcribers any more than inspired printers, nor for infallible translators any more than infallible commentators and readers. He wastes no miracles. He